Andra Ursuta

The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami launched its Atrium gallery in the landmark Moore Building with “As I Lay Drying,” presenting new and recent works by the New York-based artist Andra Ursuta, whose sculpture and installation engages with the psychology of power and modernism and is rooted deeply in personal history.

Amidst the gridded architecture of ICA Miami’s Atrium Gallery, the artist created a dramatic site-specific installation, involving platforms that elevate the works above the ground floor, reconfiguring the viewing experience. Among the works on view are Soft Power 1 and 2 (2013), monumental inflatable fists made of patchwork-quilted comforters, whose fabrication and motion reflect upon the complex histories of patriotism and protest. Ursuta’s work was recently featured in “The Encyclopedic Palace” at the 55th Venice Biennale, and in solo exhibitions at Milan’s Peep-Hole (2014) and at Los Angeles’ Hammer Museum (2014).

Andra Ursuta (b. 1979, Salonta, Romania) lives and works in New York. She received a BA in art history and visual arts in 2002 from Columbia University. Ursuta has had several solo shows in New York, and her work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions, such as The Encyclopedic Palace, 55th International Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (2013); Busted, High Line, New York (2013); Expo I, MoMA PS1, Long Island City, New York; Ostalgia, New Museum, New York (2011); and Looking Back / The Fifth White Columns Annual, White Columns, New York.

The exhibition is organized by ICA Miami and curated by Alex Gartenfeld, Deputy Director and Chief Curator, in collaboration with the Kölnischer Kunstverein, Germany.

ICA Miami’s inaugural exhibitions are made possible through the generous support of ICA Miami’s Board of Trustees.